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Mechanics
A Pendulum Clock
At first glance, the giant see-through-erector-set-like structure seems to be a realization of one of Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical inventions.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Balancing Ball
Levitating on an invisible stream of air, a beach ball seems to defy gravity. If you try to pull the ball out, you can feel a force pulling it back in—the same force that keeps an airplane in flight.
Bicycle Wheel Gyro
Tilt a spinning bicycle wheel while you’re sitting in a swivel chair and—surprise—you’ll start spinning in circles, too. You can also witness the same phenomenon here by hanging a spinning wheel from its axle.
Where: Gallery 4: Living Systems
Chaotic Pendulum
The visitor gives an initial twist to the pendulums with a protruding knob. Intuition says that the resulting motion of this system should be, if not simple, at least predictable. Intuition, however, does not work with this device since its motion is chaotic, extremely complicated and long-lived.
Where: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
Circling Wave Umbrella
Fluttering waves whirl around the edge, creating patterns of evenly spaced ripples.
Coupled Pendulums
Start one of these two pendulums swinging and soon you’ll see the other pendulum start swinging, too. Keep watching and you’ll see the two pendulums take turns, alternately swinging energetically and coming to a near standstill.
Where: Crossroads: Getting Started
Downhill Race
Believe it or not, when objects roll downhill, it’s not their weight or size that determines their speed—it’s how their weight is distributed.
Drawing Board
Draw hypnotically flowing patterns with a swinging table, and watch friction cause the patterns to slowly shrink along a spiral path.
Flourish (Bloom)
This 3-D sculpture is animated when spun under a strobe light. The bloom’s animation effect is achieved by progressive rotations of the golden ratio, phi (ϕ), the same ratio that nature employs to generate the spiral patterns we see in pinecones and sunflowers.
Lariat Chain
This artwork by Norman Tuck demonstrates that a very simple system—a metal chain hanging from a motor-driven bicycle wheel—can generate complex behaviors.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering
Lumen-Illusion
Flashing lights create the illusion of motion.
Pendulum Snake
Lift the handle to start this row of pendulums swinging, and then watch as they move in and out of a repeating series of mesmerizing patterns.
Where: Crossroads: Getting Started
Rolling Through the Bay
Artist Scott Weaver has spent over 40 years painstakingly constructing this replica of the city of San Francisco out of toothpicks. Ping-pong balls added here or there wind their way through the model, visiting various famous sites along the way.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering
Settling Column
Sand falling through water creates turbulence and complex patterns.
Silage Beach
Are the stripes spinning . . . or are you?
Spinning Blackboard
Use your hands and tools to create unexpected patterns in the sand.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Spinning Patterns
Use your hands and tools to create unexpected patterns in the sand.
Where: Ray and Dagmar Dolby Atrium
Square Wheel
A square wheel can roll smoothly—if the "road" is the right shape.
Strange Attractor
Magnets in the pendulum and the disks transfer energy back and forth, making the pendulum swing in unpredictable ways.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Tornado
Fans simulate the swirling airflow in a thunderstorm and fog machines make the pattern visible, creating a miniature tornado that you can disturb with the wave of a hand.
Where: Gallery 4: Living Systems
Turntable
Experiment with rotational motion (and collisions) here at one of our most addictive exhibits. Disks and balls moving on and across this spinning table swoop and veer hypnotically—and also reveal why storm systems often follow curved paths on weather maps.
Where: Crossroads: Getting Started
Uroborus: A Snake Chasing Its Tail
In this device, a motor turns a wooden snake tail. When the tail pushes the snake head, it changes the connections and the motor changes direction.
Where: Gallery 2: Tinkering
Vortex
A twist of a knob sets water jets in motion, causing water in this giant cylindrical tank to spin. Soon, a tiny vortex appears at the surface, gradually swelling in size as it snakes downward.
Where: Crossroads: Getting Started
Voussoir Arch Bridge
Discover the strength of an arch by building a bridge.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
